Newly Released Book Taps into More than 50 Years of Urgent Care Startup Expertise

Machesney Park, Ill. (May 31, 2018) – More than 50 years of combined urgent care and emergency medicine expertise can now be accessed in the newly released second edition of the book “The Healthcare Executive’s Guide to Urgent Care Centers and Freestanding EDs.” In this updated edition, urgent care experts Dr. David Stern, CEO of Practice Velocity, and Alan Ayers, vice president of Strategic Initiatives for Practice Velocity, contribute a wealth of knowledge and experience to first-edition author Dr. Michael Boyle’s original work.

“I was truly honored to work with such experts to produce this book,” says Stern. “It offers cutting-edge information on the urgent care startup space, giving a competitive advantage to anyone looking for the tools to build and manage an urgent care business from the ground up.”

The second edition of “The Healthcare Executive’s Guide to Urgent Care Centers and Freestanding EDs” is a practical toolkit that outlines each step of the urgent care startup process, including developing your business plan, choosing a business structure, outlining the unique staffing requirements of an urgent care center, and so much more. The second edition also covers previously unexplored topics, such as the federal government’s Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS), the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA), and a brand new chapter on the legal requirements of opening and/or expanding an urgent care practice.

David Stern, MD, has worked for more than 28 years in the urgent care industry, beginning his career as a provider and later as a partner in the Physicians Immediate Care group, which operated 20 urgent care centers in the Midwest. He currently serves as CEO of Practice Velocity, offering the VelociDoc® electronic medical record (EMR), PVM® practice management software, and other services to more than 2,000 urgent care centers. Dr. Stern has served on the board of directors for multiple urgent care, private equity and IT companies. He has been involved in the ownership structure of more than 80 urgent care centers in 10 different states. Dr. Stern served on the founding Board of Directors of the Urgent Care Association of America and has received its Lifetime Membership Award. Dr. Stern is the proud father of five children, and he and his wife reside in Rockford, Illinois.

Alan A. Ayers, MBA, MAcc, has more than 12 years of experience in strategic planning, business development, clinical operations, sales/marketing and customer service for urgent care, occupational medicine and primary care facilities of all sizes. He currently serves as vice president of strategic initiatives for Practice Velocity and practice management editor for The Journal of Urgent Care Medicine (JUCM), where he has contributed more than 450 original pieces on urgent care-related subjects. Previously, he served as a C-level executive for the urgent care divisions of two leading health systems, including eight years in various executive roles at Concentra, where he implemented and grew services in more 300 mixed-model locations. He has also served as a Board Director and Advisor to the Urgent Care Association of America (UCAOA). Prior to his work in urgent care, Ayers consulted with national retailers like Walmart, McDonalds, Bank of America and Verizon Wireless.

Michael F. Boyle, MD, FACEP, has spent more than 25 years practicing emergency medicine and managing emergency departments, fast-track programs, occupational medicine programs and urgent care centers. He is currently the vice president and regional medical officer for Schumacher Clinical Partners for sites in New York and Pennsylvania. Dr. Boyle has traveled extensively providing consultation for emergency department management, hospital-wide flow improvement, urgent care program development and patient satisfaction. His primary focus is hospital-affiliated programs for emergency services, occupational medicine and urgent care. Over the past several years, he has lectured around the country for the Urgent Care Association of America and others reviewing various urgent care and population health topics.

About Practice Velocity

Practice Velocity provides a full scope of industry-leading medical software and services designed to improve efficiency, support delivery of quality care, and maximize revenue for urgent care centers, occupational medicine clinics, primary care physicians and outpatient specialty providers. More than 2,000 urgent care clinics in all 50 states have used Practice Velocity’s products and services to improve performance and build successful businesses. For more information, visit www.practicevelocity.com.